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There is so much crammed into this episode, from all the guest stars to the sheer number of plots that Veronica (and ONLY Veronica) takes on. It works out beautifully, and is now my favorite episode of the season so far. Despite the title of this episode, Keith is in it far less than I had expected. In fact, this episode was all about Veronica and the three different cases she’s a part of.

Mr. Rooks: Well, hello there, Adam Scott! Look at you being the coolest teacher in school, with your interactive game show–style classes. However, his charm doesn’t work on everyone; another student, Carrie Bishop (Leighton Meester), accuses him of sleeping with her and getting her pregnant. Carrie is the school gossip, so naturally, Veronica doesn’t believe her accusations. (So Carrie is Neptune’s Gossip Girl?) She’s set to prove that Mr. Rooks is innocent, despite the fact that Keith has been hired by Carrie’s parents to investigate him. Thanks to help from Wallace, Veronica finds out in Carrie’s records that she got called in for a parent/teacher conference due to a bad grade, and she thinks this is why Carrie is trying to sabotage Mr. Rooks’ career.

Things escalate when Carrie accuses him of sexual assault and it’s taken to the school board. Still believing his innocence, and even after Keith reveals that he was fired from his previous teaching job, Veronica visits Mr. Rooks at his house to tell him she’s going to help him. (Personally, I don’t think this is a smart move at this time.) At the hearing, Carrie accuses Mr. Rooks of his actions and provides text messages that seem to implicate him. However, Veronica proves that the messages are false via the vice principal’s phone. Since there is no concrete evidence, the case is dismissed. Plus, Veronica had found out that there was no way Carrie was there on that particular date, because she was away for a competition.

Later, Veronica returns to Mr. Rooks’ house to offer congrats, and he invites her inside for some pizza. She accepts and walks in, only to see his bedroom, where the sheets on the bed match exactly what Carrie said. GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE HE DOES THE SAME THING TO YOU! Doing some more research, she discovers the truth, and visits the true victim of this whole situation. Mr. Brooks had raped Susan (Christine Lakin) and was pregnant. Her parents disowned her when she wouldn’t tell them who had done it, because she knew they would press charges. Carrie knew what happened and was trying to help Susan on her behalf, even though this was ruining her own reputation. Veronica realizes she was completely wrong, and encourages Susan to report Mr. Rooks. The next day, they find out Mr. Rooks has resigned. Carrie and Veronica come to an unspoken agreement that they’ve done the right thing.

Lynn Echolls’ suicide: In the last episode, Logan came to Veronica, asking her to find his mother. We all know how Logan can be regarding Veronica; plus we know that he blames her for Lilly’s death. For him to come to her asking for help is a huge thing. Veronica also knows that he’s just grasping to believe that his mom wouldn’t have really left him. She finds out that the major witness in the tabloids is going to be at the police station, and she brings Logan along to listen in. But his temper gets the better of him when he finds out the witness is just trying to get money out of the whole deal. They then discover another tabloid with another witness who says she saw Lynn alive after the suicide took place.

But Logan’s hopes come crashing down when this witness turns out to be just a crazy fan. The final blow comes when Weevil finds a freshman who had been filming on the day of the suicide. The three of them watch the footage and clearly see someone jumping off the bridge in the background. Logan is devastated. All hope is not completely lost, as Veronica finds out that Lynn’s credit cards have just been used. Granted, my immediate conclusion is that someone found them AFTER she jumped—but I’m not going to kick Logan even more when he’s already down.

Lilly Kane murder: Veronica finds out Duncan’s doctor and gets herself an appointment to find out what kind of medicine he is taking. Honestly, though, while watching her sneak into his medical records, I feel this is going way over the line for her. She finds out Duncan has epilepsy, but that is completely private information she should not be looking at. Never mind the fact that she also finds Abel Koontz’s folder as well. It’s a total invasion of privacy that I felt very uncomfortable watching her take part in. It makes one feel a little uncertain; anyone could be looking at your medical records if they planned it carefully enough. Back to Koontz: Veronica visits him at prison again, and reveals that she knows he’s dying. It’s because of this that he’s agreed to be someone’s proxy for the murder. She leaves him speechless.

Such a tightly written episode! Plus Leo makes a return! Understandably, he’s very cautious, and annoyed with Veronica for using him and causing him to be suspended previously. However, once again, she realizes that what she did was wrong and apologizes to him. After she admits she fell for him, he seems to forgive her. I hope we see more of him in the future. I also hope he’s not going to be another Troy and break my heart.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons